3/2008

Editorial

Personnel expects the government to redeem its promises of safeguarding the terms of employment relationship

Kerttu Pellinen
Chairman of the Association of the Finnish University and Research Establishment Staff (YHL)

The new term began. Themes in the university opening speeches were to a large extent uniform, the speeches covered different university communities’ views and opinions on the Universities Act being drafted. Anticipated changes in the Universities Act and other matters relating to the changes are subjects taking precedence also in the activities of the Association of Finnish University and Research Establishment Staff (YHL) and its member organisations. The proposal for
the new Universities Act is currently being circulated for comments and the deadline for delivering opinions is in the middle of October. After having been circulated for comments, the preparatory work continues and the draft is due for parliamentary debate next spring.

The reason behind changing the universities’ financial and administrative status is to strengthen the universities’ autonomy
guaranteed by the constitution. In connection with delivering opinions, it is to be assessed whether the proposed act provides the tools for this. Executing a public duty mainly on state funding provides an opportunity for careful steering and follow-up by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance as well as by the Government financial controller’s function. Information available at present indicates that even the obligations to cut numbers of personnel are not withdrawn from the universities despite the changes.

In its statements during the different stages of planning the changes, YHL has stressed two points, safeguarding the personnel’s position and personnel’s opportunities to have influence in matters relating to themselves. All groups in the university community must have equal opportunities to select their own representatives to all decision-making levels, regardless of the internal structure of the university. Tricks must
not be used to prevent this. Safeguarding the personnel’s position in a unified manner requires more detailed legal regulation than the draft circulated for comments includes.
Also required is a collective agreement covering all universities; an agreement, which redeems the government’s promise to maintain the terms of employment relationship at least on the current level. For that reason, the necessity of relinquishing
public service relationships needs still to be examined. It is possible to carry out mutual flexibility required by the changing working life and good personnel policy regardless
the type of service relationship. It is only a question of will.

Summer came and went – the sun appeared only every now and then in between showers of rain. Now I wish us all a sunnier and clearer autumn. We certainly need it to manage winter’s toil.